Escape to the Country presenter Alistair Appleton has been open about his struggles with alcohol and drugs early in his TV career.
The much-loved BBC One presenter since 2007 revealed in a candid interview in 2019 that despite his on-screen success, he faced major challenges in his personal life and was “quite unhappy” in his early 30s.
Alistair hasn’t shyed away from talking about his troubled past, writing openly about his experiences on his blog, mind-springs.org. “I drank a lot, did a lot of drugs and went out a lot,” he admits.
As reported by OK!, in an emotional blog post in 2019, she reflected on her journey, describing how she felt about her younger self: “In my 20s, I realised how stiff and dead I was at heart,” adding, “In my 20s, all I wanted to do was be a famous TV presenter, but by the time I was 30, I realised that was a very dangerous path for me, because I knew it would only lead to more insecurity and a focus on appearances,” according to the Mirror.
Apart from his work in TV, Alistair developed a deep interest in meditation and eventually trained as a psychotherapist to gain a greater understanding of burnout and help other people deal with anxiety in their lives.
He was dedicated to his spiritual practice and nearly went to a monastery in Thailand with the idea of becoming a monk after intensive meditation training, but friends persuaded him not to pursue that path.
Since then, Alistair has found peace away from the turmoil of life and makes his home in Newhaven with his husband Daniel, where he offers yoga and meditation sessions. During this time of peace, Alistair uses his blog to share his own experiences of spiritual retreats, emotional wellbeing and wisdom from other yogis and meditation experts.
On a separate note, Jules Hudson, a regular on the show since 2007, took some creative and emotional time off last year. In the spirit of Escape to the Country, he enrolled in a 12-week boatbuilding course at a boatbuilding academy he discovered while filming in 2012.
Reflecting on her holiday, Jules commented: “I always [to the Academy]But when you have a family and you’re working, life just goes on and you just have to go with it.”
